Been looking for an X3 in the PNW, preferably 2007-2010 due to the N52 engine in them.
I have two that I keep coming back to, speaking to one of the owners currently, and would like you guys to look at them and tell me what all do you find that you do not like. even though I looked at them as much as possible, please point anything in case I have missed.
After pointing out all the flaws, throw a vote for either of them, let's call them the red one and the black one.
Thanks!
What's with the interior on the black one? It looks like it's covered in mildew or something.
In reply to wae :
I think its dog paw prints. They are ALL over it.
I can't see the posts because they're on Facebook. Can you post the photos, at least the relevant ones, directly?
Black:
$7k
Red:
$7k - waiting on interior pictures
In reply to Slippery :
That black one with the dog prints and E36 M3 all over the front seats, center console and dash...that would be a pass for me. It looks like it'll stink and reek of wet dog smell lol
I'll start by saying I'm not a BMW guy.
The ad for the Red car says they are looking for a better offroad machine. Which suggests to me they have been using it offroad. I would want to take a close look at the underside and make sure it's not beaten to death.
My read on the ads is that the black one was owned by an enthusiast, and the red one wasn't. More than that, the black one looks to have the sport seats, which are a huge improvement over the standard ones. And on top of that, the owner of the red one couldn't even take the time to put their stickers on straight.
Black all the way, based on what I'm seeing.
The black one says "cleaned out sunroof drains."
That means one of two things: 1. The owner is an obsessive enthusiast who regularly cleans the drains and thought that was worth mentioning. Or 2. the car flooded, then they cleaned the drains. I'd watch out for water in the black one.
yupididit said:In reply to Slippery :
That black one with the dog prints and E36 M3 all over the front seats, center console and dash...that would be a pass for me. It looks like it'll stink and reek of wet dog smell lol
Lol, I know. I might start a youtube detailing channel if I end up with that one. do a 10 part series just on the front center console.
Toyman! said:
The ad for the Red car says they are looking for a better offroad machine. Which suggests to me they have been using it offroad. I would want to take a close look at the underside and make sure it's not beaten to death.
This is the stuff I am looking for! The car is full of scratches, and I think you are correct on the offroading with it.
02Pilot said:
My read on the ads is that the black one was owned by an enthusiast, and the red one wasn't. More than that, the black one looks to have the sport seats, which are a huge improvement over the standard ones. And on top of that, the owner of the red one couldn't even take the time to put their stickers on straight.
Black all the way, based on what I'm seeing.
Seats are the first thing I noticed ;)
Tom Suddard said:The black one says "cleaned out sunroof drains."
That means one of two things: 1. The owner is an obsessive enthusiast who regularly cleans the drains and thought that was worth mentioning. Or 2. the car flooded, then they cleaned the drains. I'd watch out for water in the black one.
Sunroof leaks are extremely common on these along with the plastic arms breaking. I am trying to convince myself he is targeting someone that knows about these and trying to show he was proactive.
The stuff all over the center console tells me differently though.
s54/6sp swapped x3 in the future?
iansane said:s54/6sp swapped x3 in the future?
I cant deny I have been researching the subject.
I still really don't understand how people can take the effort to write a really detailed ad, seemingly care about the vehicle, and not take a few minutes to make the interior look like it didn't just spend a month underwater. I feel like I'd tell the owner of the black one that I'd pay their full asking price if they clean the thing and the interior isn't totally ruined under all that dirt. Or low-ball them and hope it cleans up okay.
In reply to dps214 :
I don't get how you get a car to that point.
The guy just had it serviced this week. I always tell my wife to make sure her car is clean before going to the dealership, otherwise the techs will treat it like crap if they see it dirty inside.
Black one all day.
I agree the fact that it's filthy is weird and a turn off. I'm wondering if it's enthusiast owned, but a busy enthusiast.
Maybe the pics were taken a while ago on a trip to the Bay Area... that looks like a palm tree in one. Reminds me of Berkeley. Also looks like a 944 tail light in the driveway.
In reply to CyberEric :
Enthusiast owned doesn't = well taken cared of lol. I like sellers who go to the dealer with an open checkbook lol. Enthusiast do some weird E36 M3 to cars because they THINK they know better.
If they can't even clean it before taking listing pics that's a huge red flag.
If you know what you're looking at, dirty cars can be great to buy cheap. A couple days of work and the whole interior can be made like-new. I'm a little dismayed when I see an ad I might be interested in that shows a freshly detailed car - no way I'm going to successfully lowball that guy, even if all he did was vacuum the mats and wipe it down with Armor All.
It's odd that it's not clean, but the list of work done and the option package make the black one the far better choice. Maybe inquire about the state of the interior and the reason for the filth?
I am not ignoring the thread.
I am working on some stuff behind the scenes, I have a couple of irons in a couple different fires.
I will update this thread tomorrow with much more info that gleaned into since I first started.
As 02Pilot states, dirty cars are not my thing but I use that to work in my favor. It can bite you though, but I would never buy a car that has had an engine bay detailed and full of grease armor all, its a red flag to me, the interior is different.
camopaint0707 said:If they can't even clean it before taking listing pics that's a huge red flag.
This. It really shows an utter lack of dgaf and I could not imagine someone caring about undisclosed "issues" if they don't care about wiping dog remnants off the leather....
yupididit said:In reply to Slippery :
That black one with the dog prints and E36 M3 all over the front seats, center console and dash...that would be a pass for me. It looks like it'll stink and reek of wet dog smell lol
I would be more concerned about the condition of the rest of the vehicle, if they can't be bothered to spend 15 minutes with a tub of wet wipes to make the interior photo-passable.
Speaking as a technician, the filthier the interior is, the more the maintenance schedule slides along past "religiously maintained - every Christmas and Easter whether it needs it or not" and towards "eh, it still moves".
I mean, it's not full of half empty juice cups with mounds of fuzz growing on the liquid inside, or half eaten plates of food, or random articles of clothing (where do all these socks come from?), so it isn't all THAT bad, I suppose...
OK, lets bring some closure to the thread.
The red one - Guy replied to me that he was going to send me more info the next day. I am still waiting, so that was out from almost the get go.
The black one - I ended up having a great conversation with the owner, he sent me close to 50 pics. Underside and all, as well as cleaned interior. That car ended up having three accidents according to Carfax (none on Autocheck), one of them I consider important. The owner showed me a receipt from very reputable BMW indy for $5k on 4/5, I still cant comprehend why he did not clean the interior prior to listing it. Long story short, the accident turned me off.
Enter a 2008 X3 w/ MSport package in silver. I had seen it before in Seattle Craigslist but kind of ignored it. I started talking to the owner this past Friday and ended up closing on it today. Money has been wired and I am picking it up on 5/8 and leaving it at the airport. Hopefully it all works out.
The car will take me through Banff/Jasper in Canada and then Glacier/Yosemite/G Teton/MtRushmore, etc in the US all the way home to Florida this summer (should start a thread). It will then become my 16 year olds first car.
Thanks for all the help on this!
And some pictures:
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